


Out for Blood

by heyjupiter



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men (Movies)
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-30
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-09 16:01:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3255908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyjupiter/pseuds/heyjupiter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the early days of the war, Agent Carter was tasked with getting a blood sample from James Howlett, a Canadian soldier with remarkable regenerative abilities. After the war, their paths cross again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out for Blood

**Author's Note:**

> It bums me out that a fractured media empire prevented Wolverine from having a WWII MCU cameo (and from getting punched by Peggy Carter), so here's this.
> 
> * Spoilers for Episode 01x04 of Agent Carter.

**1941**  
Logan sat alone at an RAF canteen, sipping whiskey and idly skimming a copy of Life magazine.

A woman and looked over his shoulder. "Oh, that's a good picture of Howard," she said.

Logan glanced over at her. She was in uniform, but not ATA, like most of the women he saw around here. Her insignia said SSR, which was a new one for him. She was pretty, but Logan just wasn't interested. He had enough on his mind. "Can't a guy read in peace?" he asked.

She pursed her lips. "If peace is what you want, maybe we can work together."

"I think we already are. But it's my night off."

"I'll make you a deal, Corporal Howlett. I'll buy your next drink if you'll hear me out."

Logan drained his glass in one sip and said, "Fine. Make it a double."

"Excellent," she said. She signaled the bartender authoritatively and continued, "Now. I'm Agent Peggy Carter, and I'm here on behalf of the Strategic Scientific Reserve."

"Haven't heard of that one."

"Yes, well. We're an Allied organization working for the war effort." She handed him a badge.

"I'd hope so."

"And I believe you have something that may be of use to us."

Logan raised his eyebrows. "I don't have anything anybody in their right mind would want."

"No? But it's true, isn't it, that you heal faster than normal?"

"S'pose so. I can't give you that, though, much as I wish I could."

"What about your blood?"

"I like my blood right where it is."

"Well, the SSR has a project… working on a way to make _all_ our soldiers like you. If--if I could just get a blood sample from you, our scientists could learn a lot from it."

"Trust me, Carter, a bunch of soldiers like me is the last thing anybody wants."

"Is this a joke to you? Our boys are _dying_ out there."

"Good for them," Logan said. No sooner had the words left his mouth than Peggy punched him. Hard. "That's how you're planning to get your blood sample?" he asked. 

"I've read all about your insubordination, but this is really no time for that," Peggy said. "How dare you make light of the sacrifices being made?"

Logan raised his hands palm out in surrender. "Sorry. I ain't making light. I'm dead serious. Have you really thought about what you're asking? What working on?"

Agent Carter put a small leather case up on the bar. She opened it to reveal a few glass vials. "What I'm asking for is just this much blood. Our scientists can analyze it and extrapolate from it, see if they can replicate what we find there. We could give your gift to other soldiers. We--you could save so many lives! Did you know over 15 million people died in the Great War? We could change that… turn it around. Make it a new era." 

"You read my file?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me: how old am I?"

She frowned. "I don't recall, actually. You must be in your thirties?"

"Not quite. I was born in 1837."

"But that would make you… a hundred and four years old?"

Logan nodded.

"That's… remarkable."

Logan snorted. "That's one word for it. So yeah, I remember how many people died in the Great War. And a whole bunch before that."

Agent Carter pursed her perfectly-red lips. "So you won't support our research because, what? You're tired of living?"

"I knew you'd get it eventually. Thanks for the drink," Logan said, and he rose from his bar stool.

"That is _unacceptable_ ," Agent Carter said. She twisted his arm and flung him back down into his seat. She was stronger than she looked, he'd give her that.

"I'm sure you mean well," he said. "But I don't think you should be messing around with this stuff. It ain't right. People should die when their number gets called, that's all."

"I didn't come here to philosophize with you. I came here because the Nazis are working on the same thing that we're working on, and we have reason to believe they're ahead of us. Why not help level the playing field? We're not trying to make _immortal_ soldiers. We're just trying to make _better_ soldiers."

Logan stared into his empty glass for a long moment. He looked at the magazine, still open next to him, showing a photo of some kind of new-fangled airplane. He was sure that if it came down to it, he could get away from this woman, but he didn't exactly relish the idea of fighting her. And he supposed she had a point. The Nazis were working on all kinds of shit, and Logan was pretty sure they shouldn't have any of it. "Fine," he said. "I guess better us than them. But I hope you know what you're doing."

"That's exactly the motto of the SSR. Give me your arm."

"What? Here?"

"We can step outside if you're squeamish."

Logan glanced around and realized that he and Agent Carter were alone in the canteen. He'd been too distracted by her question to notice everyone clearing out. It was a rookie mistake, one that he should have been better than. She was good. He rolled up his sleeve. She extracted three vials of blood and rewarded him with a smile.

"The SSR appreciates your contribution, Corporal Howlett."

"Yeah, well, just be careful," he said.

"You do the same. Good luck in Japan."

Logan, who knew he hadn't told her where he was going, pulled his sleeve back down and left the canteen. He still wasn't sure that SSR knew what they were doing, but if they knew enough to hire Agent Carter, he figured they must be in pretty good hands.

* * *

**1946**

Peggy noticed Logan the moment she walked into the Automat, but she chose to ignore him. She was sure it wasn't coincidence that he was here, but she didn't know that she had the energy to talk to him. Not without some pie, first. She ate and asked Angie, "You know anything about that guy over there? The hairy one?"

"Him? He's not exactly chatty, Peggy. He's been here for hours just drinking coffee and glaring at his magazine. He seems like he'll be a bad tipper. I just got that feeling about him, y'know?"

"I'm _sure_ you're mistaken about that," Peggy said. 

After allowing her slice of banana cream a moment to settle in her stomach, she approached his table. "Fancy meeting you here," she said lightly.

"Yeah," Logan said flatly. He nodded at the empty chair across from him, and she took it. "Nice to see you, Agent Carter."

"You still with the Canadian special services?" she asked. She knew he wasn't--she'd tried her best to keep tabs on him throughout the war--but she wanted to hear what he'd say. He was dressed in civvies, a leather jacket and denim jeans. She noticed a backpack under his chair.

"I'm… between jobs, at the moment. Between governments, maybe. I ain't here on business. Not with you, anyway. I was just passing through New York, and I knew you two were--well, I wanted to say I was sorry to hear about what happened to Steve."

Peggy tightened her lips. It was still hard for her to talk about Steve. Logan continued, "I know I wasn't… wasn't real on board with the whole Project Rebirth thing. But I fought with Steve. With Captain America. He was a good man. You--the SSR--you did good work. I guess that's all I wanted to say."

"It wasn't anything we did that made Steve good."

Logan shrugged. "Maybe not, but I saw the way he fought… I'd say you probably gave him a leg up, anyway."

Peggy said softly, "I thought… I thought you couldn't die." She'd done some more research on him after their first conversation. His file hadn't had a birth date on it at all. But she had found more files. She'd found commendations for him from the Great War. And the Boer War. And the Anglo-Afghan War. 

Logan stared at his hands for a moment before answering,"Maybe I'm wrong about that, then. Or maybe the SSR didn't get the formula quite right." Logan extended an arm to her, palm up. "What you want another try? For the next war?"

"No! That wasn't the real purpose of Project Rebirth. And... I… you were right, Logan. The first time I spoke to you."

"Huh. That doesn't usually happen," Logan said, with a faint twist to his lips.

"I mean it," Peggy said. "No one should have to live through so many wars." She knew how she felt, having lived through this war, and couldn't imagine multiplying that feeling tenfold. She'd just thought that Steve would live through one, was all. 

"Yeah, well," Logan said. He pulled his arm back and wrapped his hands around his mug. "I guess that's all I wanted to say." He took his wallet out and threw a few bills on the table. It was a generous tip for just coffee, and Peggy was pleased that she didn't even have to threaten him for it.

"Wait," she said, after he'd already stood and shouldered his backpack. "If… if we did have any of your blood left. What would you want us to do with it?"

Logan turned back to her. "I dunno. Throw it away. Maybe water a plant with it."

"A plant?"

"Sure. Dust to dust. Put it in the ground. It'll all end up there eventually, right?"

His gruff voice sounded almost hopeful. Peggy nodded. "Right," she said. 

"Take care, Agent Carter." The door jingled as he left. Peggy reached in her purse and absently fingered the device in her purse. She wondered if Logan had known about it. She had the sense that he often knew more than he let on.

Angie approached to take away Logan's empty mug. "Well, English. I didn't think short, dark, and hairy was your type?"

"What? Oh, no, he's--I'd thought I recognized him, and it turns out we once worked together. That's all."

"Hmm. Well, if he tips like this, I wouldn't mind him sticking around."

"No, he's just passing through."

"Shame."

"I suppose." Peggy went back to her table and paid for her pie.

"See you tonight?" Angie asked.

"Yeah, I'll be around. There's just something I need to take care of first."

"Something like getting us some more schnapps?"

Peggy smiled. "Two things to care of, then."

She started back for the boarding house. While waiting to cross an intersection, she noticed a tree growing out of the sidewalk. She admired its tenacity, and she thought of Logan's advice. She reached in her purse and touched Stark's device. She glanced around her--she could cross the street, now, but no one was looking at her. She could do it now. But she found that she wasn't ready to get rid of this last part of Steve, not yet. She kept the device in her purse and kept walking. She needed to buy schnapps and a hammer before the boarding house curfew.

**Author's Note:**

> ~*handwaving at canon vaguely*~ I picked Logan's implied birthdate from the Wolverine Origins movie. The main thing is, he's super old.


End file.
